Steering-gear.



No. 771,537. PATENTED OCT. 4, 1904. P. C. DOLLIVER. 1

STEERING GEAR.

APPLIGATION PJLED JUNE 5', 1903.

N0 MODEL ivo. 771,537.

Patented October` 4, 14904.

PILLSBURY C. DOLLIVER, OF REVERE, MASSACHUSETTS.

STEERING-GEAR.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent N o. 771,537, dated October 4, 1904. Application filed June 5, 1903. Serial No. 160,142. (No model.)

To (LZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, PILLsBURY C. DoLLIvER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Revere, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Steering-Gear, of which the following' description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like numerals on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to a steering-gear for boats or vessels, and has for its object to provide a simple mechanism which is powerful in its action and which is adapted to occupy a minimum amount of the standing room in an ordinary yacht.

As small sailing boats are commonly constructed the tiller is fastened directly to the rudder-post and extends out into the standing' room at the stern of the boat, and where the tiller is of any length it requires for its operation a considerable portion of this standing space. My improved arrangement is such that the tiller may be confined largely in the overhang of the boat, and will not therefore project forward beyond the seat surrounding the space any farther than is necessary to afford sufficient opportunity to operate the same.

My invention also comprises a special toggle arrangement by means of which the rudder may be controlled with the expenditure of a minimum amount of power. This arrangement comprises two oppositely-disposed toggle-joints, which are each connected to the rudder-posts on opposite sides thereof, and a pivoted actuator, which is connected to each of the toggle-joints by means of links. By swinging the tiller and turning the actuator in one direction one of the toggle-levers will be straightened and the other bent outwardly, the two toggle-levers thus acting together on the rudder-post, one with a push and the other with a pull. The swinging movement of the tiller in the opposite direction will, through the actuator, straighten the last-named togglelever and bend the first-named toggle-lever outwardly, whereby both toggle-levers again act to turn the rudder-post in the opposite direction, one with a pull and the other with a push.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of the stern portion of the boat, showing my improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side view of a boat with part broken out to better show the varrangement of the steering-gear. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the steering-gear by itself. Fig. 4 is a different manner of applying the steering-gear. Fig. 5 is a section onthe line m, Fig. 3; and Fig. 6 shows a modification.

In many boats the upper end of the rudderpost is situated at the rear of the seat surrounding the standing space, and the tiller,

if it is connected directly to said rudder-post, extends a considerable distance into said space. This is the type of yacht illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, and 3 designates the rudder-post, to which the ordinary rudder 4 is attached, said post terminating' at the rear of the standing space 5.

Instead of securing the tiller 6 directly to the rudder-post my invention contemplates securing it to an actuator, which in turn is secured to the rudder-post through toggle-lcvers. In the form of the invention herein illustrated the rudder-post has the yoke or oppositely-disposed arms 7 rigidly secured thereto, and to the end of each arm is pivotcd one arm, 8, of a toggle-lever, the other arm, 9, of each of said levers being pivoted to any suitable fixed support, as at l0. The actuator is designated by 11, and this is pivoted to a fixed support in the rear of the rudder, as at 12. Said actuator' is connected to the joint of each toggle-lever by a link 13. With this construction it will be observed that when the actuator is moved in one direction one of the' toggle-levers willbe straightened and the other broken or bent outwardly. Such straightening of one toggle-lever and bending of the other outwardly will obviously turn the yoke 7 and through the yoke 7 turn the rudder-post and operate the rudder. I desire to emphasize the fact that during the above-described operation both toggle-levers exert power on the rudder-post, one with a push and the other with a pull. With this arrangement a small amount of power applied to the tiller 6 will be sufiicient to operate the rudder even in very large ships, for whatever force is ap- IOO plied to said tiller 6 is used to straighten one l or the other of the toggle-joints, and as the toggle-joint is a well-known mechanical device for developing a maximum power with a minimum expenditure of force it will be observed that by means of my device a small force applied to the tiller will be sui'licient to control the rudder. rIhe points where the toggle-lever arms 8 are pivoted to the arms 7 lie slightly to one side of the axis of thc rudder-post, as seen in Fig. 3, and are therefore less than one hundred and eighty degrees apart. Similarly the pivotal points between the links and actuator are at one side of the axis of the actuator, and are therefore less than one hundred and eighty degrees apart. IV ith this arrangement the pivotal points 20 bear such a relation to the pivotal points between the links 13 and the toggle-joint and the axis of the actuator that when the lever is swung in one direction and reaches the position shown in Fig. 3 the pivotal point between the link 13 and actuator 11 passes its dead -center at substantially the same time that the pivotal point 2O between the arms 8 and 7 passes its dead-center. lVith this construction therefore the lirst movement of the tiller from its central position (shown in Fig. 1) to either side operates through one link 13 to straighten one togglejoint and through the other link 13 to bend outwardly the other toggle-joint. As the swinging movement of the tiller continues the straightening of the iirst-named toggle-joint continues, but the second toggle-joint reaches a substantially stationary position during the time that the pivotal points 2O and 21 are passing their dead-centers. This construction is very important, because it permits the two togglejoints to work independently and prevents one toggle-joint from working against the other.

lherc the boat has an overhang, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, I propose to place the steering-gear in such overhang, in which case the pivotal point for the tiller is some distance in the rear of the rudder 3 and the end only of the tiller comes into the standing space 5. This gives just so much added room to the boat, which is sometimes a very iiuportant item.

My invention is also adapted to be used in those boats in which the rudder is at the rear of the overhang. To adapt it for use in this way, the device is turned end for end and the iixed pivotal points 10 of the toggle-levers are situated in front of the rudder-post instead of to the rear thereof.

In order to bringl the tiller into position to be operated, it is necessary to reverse it from the position shown in Fig. 3, and I prefer, therefore, to detachably secure it to the actuator 11 so that it can be reversed. One way of thus detachably securing it consists in providing the actuator with the eye or loop 17,

into which the end of the tiller may be inserted from either direction.

Vhile I have shown two ways of embodying my invention, I do not wish to be limited to either construction shown, as the shape and arrangement of the parts may be varied without departing from the invention expressed in the appended claims.

In applying my invention to those yachts which are operated by a wheel I propose to connect the wheel with the actuator by means of gearing in some suitable way, so that the turning of the wheel will operate the actuator. Fig.l (5 shows one way in which this may be accomplished. The actuator 11a has the gear-teeth 70, with which mesh a gear 71, carried by a shaft 7 2, and this shaft is properly geared to the steering-wheels 73 in any suitable way.

Myinvention is not limited in its use to any particular type of vessel; but it is equally applicable to small vessels, such as yachts, or the large ocean-going vessels.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a steering-gear, a rudder-post, two oppositely-disposed toggle-levers connected thereto, a tiller pivoted to move horizontally, and connections between said tiller and each toggle-lever, whereby the motion of the tiller is communicated to the rudder-post through the toggle-levers.

2. In a steering-gear, a rudder-post, two oppositely-disposed toggle-levers situated in the same plane and extending in the same general direction, a tiller pivoted to move horizontally, and connections between said tiller and each toggle-lever.

3. In a steering-gear, a rudder-post, two oppositely-disposed toggle-levers connected thereto, a reversible tiller, and connections between said tiller and each toggle-lever.

4. In a steering-gear, a rudder-post, two oplliositely-disposed toggle-levers connected thereto, a pivoted actuator mounted to turn horizontally, links connecting' said actuator to the toggle-levers, and a tiller for operating the actuator.

5. In a steering-gear, a rudder-post, two oppositely-disposed toggle-levers connected thereto, a pivoted actuator, links connecting said actuator to the toggle-levers, and a tiller detachably secured to the actuator, whereby the position of the tiller with reference to the actuator may be reversed.

6. In a steering-gear, a rudder-post, oppositely-disposed arms projecting therefrom, a toggle-lever pivoted at one end to each arm and at the other end to a fixed support, a pivoted actuator, and a link connecting said actuator with each toggle-lever.

7. In a steering-gear, a rudder-post, a yoke secured thereto, two toggle-levers each pivoted at one end to a fixed support and at the IOS ITO

. toggle-lever arm other end to the yoke, a pivoted actuator, and l said lever and said toggles to accommodate the links connecting said actuator and toggle-levers, the pivotal points between the togglelever and yoke, and also between the links and actuator being less than one hundred and eighty degrees apart, whereby when the actuator is turned each link passes its dead-center with the actuator at the same time that the passes its dead-center with the yoke.

8. In a steering-gear, a rudder-post, togglelevers secured thereto and extending backwardly therefrom, and a tiller pivoted back of the rudder-post and between the toggle-levers and connected to each.

9. In steering-gear, in combination,the rudder, the operating lever or tiller, and a toggle intervening between and operatively connecting the rudder and operating lever or tiller and transmitting power from the latter to the former.

l0. In steeringgear, in combination, the steering post or shaft, the oppositely-acting toggles operatively connected with the said steering post or shaft, and the actuating lever or tiller operatively connected with said toggles.

l1. In steering-gear, in combination, the steering post or shaft, the oppositely-acting toggles operatively connected with the said steering post or shaft, a pivoted operatinglever, and compensating connections between varying relations between the lever and toggles.

12. In steering-gear, in combination, the steering post or shaft, the oppositely-acting toggles operatively connected with the said steering post or shaft, a laterally-movable operating member, and compensating connections between said laterally-movable member and the said toggles to accommodate the varying relations between such member and the toggles.

13. In steering-gear, in combination, the

steering post or shaft, the oppositely-acting toggles operatively connected with the said steering post or shaft, an actuator, and differential connections intermediate said actuator and said toggles.

14. In steeringgear, in combination, the steering post or shaft, the oppositely-acting toggles operatively connected with the said steering post or shaft, the operating lever or tiller, and the differential connections between said lever or tiller and said toggles.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

PILLSBURY C. DOLLIVER.

Witnesses:

Louis C. SMITH, NATHAN HEARD. 

